WV-SEN

Could The Dems Lose Robert Byrd's Seat?

Eric Kleefeld | September 27, 2010, 8:32AM

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin with the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)

Another Democratic-held seat has emerged as a hotly-contested race this year: The West Virginia seat held by Dem Sen. Robert Byrd for over 50 years, until his death this past June created an opening in a state that has been trending to the GOP for the last decade.

Early on in this race, things looked especially good for Democrats. They'd recruited popular Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin to run for the seat, while the Republicans' strongest potential candidate, five-term Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito, announced that she would not run. Instead, the Republicans ended up getting behind a long-time unsuccessful candidate, businessman John Raese. Manchin appointed a former aide, Carte Goodwin, to hold the seat but not run for a full term.

Raese previously ran for the Senate way back in 1984, losing by a narrow 52%-48% against Democrat Jay Rockefeller, in an open-seat race held in the middle of the Reagan landslide that year. He ran again in 2006 as Byrd's Republican challenger, spending $2.2 million of his own money on that race, and ultimately losing by a much heftier 64%-36% against a long-standing incumbent who was very much a state political institution.

But now things have started to get very close. The reason is simple: President Obama is highly unpopular in West Virginia.

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WV-SEN

GOPer Capito Not Running For West Virginia Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | July 21, 2010, 9:51AM

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who would have probably been the strongest potential Republican candidate in this fall's special Senate election for the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd's old seat, has decided not to run.

The news was first reported by the Washington Post, and was also confirmed to TPMDC by a Republican source.

Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin officially jumped into the race yesterday. A Rasmussen poll from a week and a half ago gave Manchin an initial lead of 53%-39% over Capito, making him the early favorite in the race despite the state's recent trends toward the national GOP. It's also interesting to note that Capito would not have had to give up her House seat to run -- the law that the state just passed in order to hold this election would have allowed current candidates for other offices such as herself to run for both simultaneously, as a concession in order to gain GOP support.

WV-SEN

It's On: WV Passes Compromise Legislation For Special Election For Byrd's Seat In November

Eric Kleefeld | July 20, 2010, 9:13AM

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin with the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)

West Virginia has passed legislation to hold a special election this November to replace the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, with Dems and Republicans compromising on key provisions. Dem Gov. Joe Manchin, a potential candidate in that same election, signed it into law Monday night.

The special election law, designed to fix the state's highly ambiguous pre-existing statute, provides for a primary this August 28, with the general election being held at the regular time this coming November. A two-thirds majority was needed in order to have the law take effect immediately, a requirement that briefly delayed the bill. As the Charleston Daily Mail reports, a key compromise for Republican support involved allowing candidates who have already filed for election this year to simultaneously run for the Senate seat -- clearing the way for GOP Rep. Shelly Moore Capito to run for both the Senate seat and her House seat if she so chooses.

A Rasmussen poll from a week and a half ago gave Manchin an initial lead over Capito of 53%-39%. Manchin has a press conference scheduled for 10 a.m. ET today, at which he will announce whether or not he will run.

WV-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: WV Dem Gov. Joe Manchin Leads For Byrd's Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | July 9, 2010, 9:26AM

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin (D)

The new Rasmussen poll of West Virginia finds that Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin starts out as a decently strong frontrunner in a potential special Senate election this fall, which has become a likely scenario in the process to replace the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd.

Manchin leads Republican Rep. Shelly Moore Capito by 53%-39%, and leads former West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland by 65%-26%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4.5% margin of error.

West Virginia appears to be on track to hold a special election this November, with Manchin likely appointing an interim Senator who will not seek a full term. Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) announced last week that there would not be an election, but instead a gubernatorial appointment to last through November 2012, based on the state's confusing statute on the subject. However, Tennant herself stated her disagreement with this outcome and called for the law to be changed, and Manchin obtained a legal opinion from state Attorney General Darrell McGraw (D) that allowed an election to go forward this year. Manchin has ruled out appointing himself, but has appeared to be very open to running in the election.

Stimulus

Dems To Celebrate Stimulus Anniversary By Slamming GOP Hypocrisy On Bragging About The Cash They Opposed

Christina Bellantoni | February 10, 2010, 12:39PM

President Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus plan into law Feb. 17, 2009

Next week when President Obama marks the one-year anniversary of signing the stimulus bill into law, Democrats will showcase the Republicans who were against the Recovery Act funds, before they were for them being funneled to their home states.

TPMDC has learned the party will mount an orchestrated effort from the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to go after Republicans who voted against the$787 billion economic stimulus plan but take credit for its spending back home.

Obama signed the measure Feb. 17, 2009 with votes from just three Republicans (one of those GOPers, Sen. Arlen Specter, became a Democrat) but members of the opposing party have campaigned on stimulus projects.

A Democratic source told me the party will force both incumbents up for reelection in the fall and Republican challengers to say on the record if they support the stimulus plan, which the White House in tandem will showcase as having created jobs.

"Look for us to be all over this story," the source said.

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